- Time Period: Interwar Medals
- Year of Institution: 6 April 1930
- Country: Russia & USSR
The Order of Lenin (or Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina in Russian) was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union. It was named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution and established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The Order of Lenin was awarded:
- To civilians, for outstanding services provided to the State.
- To members of the armed forces, for exemplary service.
- To those who strengthened peace and promoted friendship and cooperation between peoples.
- To those with meritorious services to the Soviet state and Soviet society.
- From 1944 to 1957, the Order of Lenin was also used to reward 25 years of conspicuous military service.
The first Order of Lenin was awarded on 23 May 1930 to the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda. The Order could also be bestowed on cities, companies, factories, regions, military units, and ships – something that allowed them to apply the name of the Order into their official titles. The initial recipients also included three pilots, five industrial companies, and the Secretary to the Central Executive Committee Avel Enukidze. The first person to receive the Order was the test pilot Valery Chkalov in 1936. Among the first foreign recipients were a German and four US citizens, who received the Order of Lenin for helping in the reconstruction of Soviet agriculture and industry.
The Order of Lenin could be awarded multiple times. For example, Nikolay Patolichev, longtime Minister for Foreign Trade of the USSR, and Dmitriy Ustinov, Defence Minister in 1976–1984, received it 11 times.
Notable Recipients of the Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin was awarded to the following notable individuals:
- Fidel Castro (President of Cuba)
- Yuri Gagarin (Cosmonaut, first human being in outer space)
- Kim Il-sung (President of North Korea, awarded 2 times)
- Nelson Mandela (Mandela, who led South Africa into democracy and out of apartheid, was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1990, the same year he was released from prison)
- Ramón Mercader (Spanish NKVD agent who assassinated Leon Trotsky)
- Joseph Stalin (1949)
The Order of Lenin Medal Design
The Order of Lenin badge was originally worn by screwback on the left chest and without a ribbon. From 943 on, it was worn as a medal suspended from a red ribbon with pairs of yellow stripes at the edges. There are four designs for the Order of Lenin medal:
Order of Lenin First Design (1930-1932)
The first design of the Order of Lenin (awarded between 1930–1932) is a round badge with a central disc featuring Vladimir Lenin‘s profile surrounded by smokestacks, a tractor, and a building, possibly a power plant. It was sculpted by Pyotr Tayozhny and Ivan Shadr based on sketches by Ivan Dubasov. It was made by Goznak of silver with some lightly gold-plated features. A thin red-enameled border and a circle of wheat panicles surround the disc. At the top is a gold-plated hammer and sickle emblem, and at the bottom are the Russian initials for “USSR” (СССР) in red enamel. There were only about 800 of this design minted.
Order of Lenin Second Design (1934-1936)
The second design of the Order of Lenin was awarded from 1934 until 1936. This design consists of a solid gold badge, featuring a silver-plated disc bearing Lenin’s portrait. The disc is surrounded by two golden panicles of wheat, and a red flag with the inscription “LENIN” in Cyrillic script (ЛЕНИН). On the left is a red star and at the bottom is the “hammer and sickle” emblem. Both are done in red enamel.
Order of Lenin Third Design (1936-1943)
The third design of the Order of Lenin was awarded from 1936 until 1943. The design is the same as the second type, except that the central disc is enameled gray and Lenin’s portrait is made with a separate piece of platinum.
Order of Lenin Fourth Design (1943-1991)
The fourth design of the Order of Lenin was awarded from 1943 until 1991. This version maintained the visual design elements of the third model, featuring the portrait of Vladimir Lenin. However, a significant change was the method of wearing the medal. While all previous versions were attached to clothing via a screwback mechanism, the fourth design was suspended from a ribbon, making it more adaptable and easier to wear on various types of clothing.
The ribbon used for the Order of Lenin was a red silk moiré ribbon, reflecting the symbolic color of the Soviet Union and its Communist Party. The medal itself retained its distinctive features: a gold badge with a platinum portrait of Lenin, surrounded by a wreath of wheat ears, a red banner, and a hammer and sickle at the bottom. This design was meant to symbolize the unity of the Soviet people and their dedication to the principles of communism.
What's the Value and Price of The Order of Lenin?
The Order of Lenin is a very rare and well-respected award. As such, prices for this medal can range from U$ 1000 for types 4 and 5, to over U$ 50,000 for type 1. These prices can get higher too if the medals come with the accompanying documents.
